Bringing Together Start-Ups, Investors and Techies: Q&A with Recia Lee of Slush

Slush has grown from a 300 person assembly to a world-renowned event, now spreading globally. The philosophy behind Slush has remained the same: to help the next generation of great, world-conquering companies forward. Slush Singapore is returning for its second edition on September 19 where they will be expecting 3,000 attendees, 200 investors, 300 startups and 100 media.

A: Slush Singapore is back for its second year bigger, better and bolder – and something quite different! On 19th September 3,000 tech enthusiasts from 20 countries will gather to meet, mingle – and above all, challenge the status quo.

Themed Black & White Slush Singapore will twist each topic to unveil new, different angles. We believe nothing in life is just black or white – but can you see the spectrum of colors within?

Q: What will be the focus for Slush Conference this September?

A: Playing with five main themes we will guide you through a journey between Future Forward, Ethics – Into the Grey Area, Redefining Gaia – Building A Sustainable Planet, Our Connected World and Into An Entrepreneur’s Mind.

What can you learn from raising $80 million in 7 minutes? How do you train entrepreneurs in North Korea? Can AI make ethical decisions? What are the similarities between an F1 driver and an entrepreneur? Does impact equal revenue for socially conscious businesses? These questions and many more will be answered on our White, Black and Grey stages this year.

Q: Who are the speakers at Slush Singapore?

A: An inspiring line of speakers will be taking the stage, among them Taizo Son – Serial Entrepreneur, Founder & CEO for Mistletoe Inc., Taavi Rõivas – former Prime Minister of Estonia, Vice President of the Estonian Parliament, Taavet Hinrikus, Co-founder and Chairman of TransferWise, Pocket Sun – Founding Partner of SoGal Ventures, Julian Hosp – Co-founder of TenX, and JP Lee – Partner and Managing Director of SoftBank Ventures Korea.

The team is working towards having 33% female speakers out of our total speakers.

Q: What can women entrepreneurs expect at Slush?

A: Slush always believes in gender equality. The team is working towards having 33% female speakers out of our total speakers. We are also very proud to have Pocket Sun – Founding Partner of SoGal Ventures, Dr. Carolyn Ng – Vice President of Vertex Ventures HC, Valenzia Yap – the CEO and Founder of PolicyPal just to name a few. There’s no doubt you’ll see ladies kicking some ass on stage at Slush Singapore!

Funding and talent alone are not enough to take Singapore forward.

Q: Give us 3 takeaways from a Slush Conference:

A: 1) Startups in Singapore attracted over US$1.4 billion in funding in 2016, rising from US$1.16 billion in 2015. With the amount of funding projected to increase in 2017, the startup scene in Singapore has never looked better. As a regional hub for Southeast Asia, Singapore is leading the way in attracting international investors, startups and talent. But funding and talent alone are not enough to take Singapore forward. There needs to be the will, the grind, the mind-set. And that’s what the Slush movement is all about. Attend Slush Singapore and meet like-minded people!

2) Our Pitch Competition, themed World Domination Tour. This year, we’ll be sending our winners to startup capitals of the world, such as Helsinki, San Francisco, Shanghai, Tokyo and London. You’ll get to see the Top 30 startups pitch their idea on stage and it will be the most intense showdown ever. Catch them and be inspired by their ideas and pitching skills.

3) Some of our key themes revolve around social enterprises and impact investment, corporate innovation and ethics, a topic not traditionally covered at tech events. Sustainability will play a big part this year – Slush Singapore wants to lead the way in making events more environmentally conscious. You can check out our programme on our site but I guarantee there’s so much to look forward to and learn as you gain insights from the industry experts!